REDCAN is the UK's alliance of regional eating disorder charities

Eating disorders are illnesses that affect thoughts and behaviour around food, eating, weight, or body image. They can have serious mental and physical health consequences, but recovery is common and possible with the right support.

Eating disorders can include restricting food, episodes of not being able to stop eating, being sick or using laxatives to get rid of food, compulsive exercise, persistent thoughts about weight, food and shape, and/or body checking.

This can stop people from enjoying their lives and or being able to participate in everyday activities. Severe eating disorders can be very dangerous.

Some eating disorders are linked to sensory experiences of food or fear of getting ill from eating, while other disorders focus on weight and/or body image. Some overlap. Many people feel shame because eating disorders are often misunderstood and stigmatised. An eating disorder is never your fault.

Really common. BEAT estimates that 1.25–3.4 million people in the UK are affected: at least one in every 70 people. A 2023 study found signs of disordered eating in more than one in five children and young people, and nearly one in three adults.

Binge eating disorder (BED) is thought to be the most common eating disorder, followed by OSFED and bulimia. Anorexia affects fewer than one in ten people with eating disorders, while more research is needed on ARFID.

Eating disorders most often develop during adolescence, but they can occur at any age. Although girls and women are most commonly affected, around one in five people with an eating disorder are boys or men.

More research is needed to better understand the experiences of some groups, including people on lower incomes, people from minoritised ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ people, disabled and neurodivergent people, older adults, and migrants.

Eating disorders develop for many reasons and are often influenced by a combination of genetic, psychological, social, and environmental factors. They may emerge during periods of change and transition, challenging circumstances, or after trauma.

Diet culture, appearance pressures, discrimination, and inequalities can all contribute. Restricting food can affect brain chemistry, and produce or reinforce disordered thoughts and behaviour. Growing evidence suggests links between neurodivergence and eating disorders. The causes and experiences are different for each person.

Below are brief descriptions of some recognised eating disorders. However, not everyone’s experiences fit neatly into diagnostic categories, and support should be available whenever someone is struggling with food, eating, weight, or body image.

Anorexia nervosa: Restricting food intake, sometimes with excessive exercise, and an intense fear of gaining weight.

Bulimia nervosa: Episodes of binge eating followed by behaviours such as vomiting, restricting food, or using laxatives to prevent weight gain.

Binge eating disorder (BED): Episodes of eating large amounts of food while feeling out of control, often followed by guilt, shame, or distress.

Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED): An eating disorder that does not fit the criteria for other diagnoses but still causes significant distress.

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): Avoiding certain foods or restricting intake, often due to sensory sensitivities or negative experiences with food, leading to nutritional or daily life difficulties.

Terms such as eating distress, disordered eating, and subclinical eating disorders are sometimes used to describe difficulties that may not meet high diagnostic thresholds for NHS treatment but still deserve attention and support.

Eating disorder recovery is different for everyone, so REDCAN agencies take a person-centred approach. Support may include talking therapies, peer and family support, guided resources, and nutritional advice, tailored to individual needs and circumstances.

Support needs can change over time and are influenced by factors such as physical and mental health, disability, neurodivergence, relationships, work, education, culture, and wider social circumstances.

REDCAN agencies combine professional expertise with lived experience, bringing valuable insight and understanding to support recovery.

Eating disorders are on the rise across the UK. Demand for support has gone up, services are under pressure, and people without a formal diagnosis or facing disadvantage often struggle to get help. Early intervention is vital. Unfortunately, too many people get treatment only when they have become really ill, and it is harder to treat eating disorders the longer they go on.

Eating disorders have the highest death rates out of all mental illness. This can change. We need better eating disorder support, early on.

Access to early support varies widely across the country, with many areas lacking affordable community-based services. In the regions where we work, REDCAN agencies provide prevention, early intervention, and recovery support, but often face insecure funding despite our proven impact.

Many groups — including people from ethnic minority communities, LGBTQ+ people, disabled and neurodivergent people, older adults, and those on lower incomes — remain underserved. Greater awareness, sustainable funding, and stronger research are needed to ensure everyone can access timely eating disorder support.

Australia’s national eating disorder strategy takes a joined-up approach to prevention and treatment, recognising that eating disorders are "everyone’s business". The UK could take a similar approach.